The popular collectible toy Labubu is getting a feature film. Introduced in 2019 and designed by Hong Kong-born, Belgium-based artist Kasing Lung, and initially made by How2 Work, Labubu is a line of monster figures that is sold at the retail shop, Pop Mart. The figures became a worldwide cultural phenomenon starting in 2024, following Blackpink member Lisa sporting one as a keychain. That, combined with the fact that they are sold in a blind-box format where customers don’t know which Labubu they will get, has made them a highly coveted collectible item with significant resale value.
Sony Pictures has now acquired the rights to develop a movie based on Labubu, according to The Hollywood Reporter. No director or writers have been attached to the project, as Sony Pictures just signed the deal. It is also currently unclear if the project will be live-action or animated. Sony also had no comment at this time.
Is Labubu Here to Stay or a Passing Fad?
The prospect of a Labubu movie is certainly enticing, given the brand’s global popularity. Wired previously reported that Pop Mart’s revenue grew 204% in 2025 compared to the year prior thanks to the toyline, which has quickly become a billion-dollar brand. This is potentially good news for Sony, which is looking for another major franchise. They do still have Spider-Man, though the live-action films are a co-production with Marvel Studios and the Walt Disney Company. Their attempts at crafting live-action spin-off films of Spider-Man adjacent characters like Morbius, Kraven the Hunter, and Madame Web infamously failed at the box office, and the studio has also been in the headlines recently after they sold KPop: Demon Hunters to Netflix, giving the streamer a new hit franchise. Clearly, Sony needs a win.
Yet it is unclear if the figures themselves are a passing fad or if they will have long-term viability like Hello Kitty, who only recently got a feature film announcement. For nearly a decade, Funko was one of the biggest collectibles on the market. Yet recently, Funko has seen a massive decline in profits, partially due to competition from Labubu. There are now concerns about Funko’s future, and while Warner Bros. Animation signed a deal to make a Funko movie back in 2019, the project has languished in development hell for six years.
On the surface, Labubu certainly sounds like it could be a quick cash-grab. Yet following the critical and financial success of both The Lego Movie and Barbie, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility that the Labubu movie could be good, depending on what creative team Sony Pictures hires. The real question is whether Sony will rush the film into production to try and cash in on the popularity? Or if the movie will come out long after the fad has gone out of style, making it feel too little too late? However, if they do wait, will the film arrive at the perfect moment when people are nostalgic for the trend? Only time will tell.
